For many people Boxing Day actually only means one thing - leftovers!! Let's face it, many people prepare way too much food for Christmas Day and end up eating it for the next week! Turkey curry, turkey pies and the famous turkey sandwich. Yum, looking forward to it already - we'll skip the leftover sprouts though Celebrities go all out for Christmas Jumper Day Doctor Who: The episodes from Christmas past.
Where can you bin it? Christmas edition. These comments are now closed. What is Remembrance Day? How much is a lightsaber worth? Gerrard announced as new Villa manager - is it a good move? Home Menu. Why is it called Boxing Day? Getty Images. Collection money. Messenger boys regularly ran errands and postmen delivered mail and packages year-round.
Boxing Day, on December 26, gave the wealthy a chance to repay their servants and tradespeople with paid time off and small gift boxes filled with trinkets or coins as a show of appreciation for their service during the holidays and throughout the year. Servants and tradespeople also prepared gift boxes for their own families, too. Some historians attribute Boxing Day to the small boxes of alms placed near the church doors requesting donations to help the poor during Advent.
On the day after Christmas, members of the church clergy would distribute the donations to needy citizens throughout the community.
December 26 was chosen for these charitable acts because the day was dedicated to St. Stephen, a patron saint known for good works and his status as the first Christian martyr. Ironically, during modern times, Boxing Day is synonymous with holiday shopping, good times, and sports. Rather than boxing, soccer and cricket matches are the sports of choice that bring everyone together for more holiday fun. In the UK, sports are often played on Boxing Day, especially football matches and horse racing.
There is a cricket test match on Boxing Day each year in Australia, where they play against another country. Fox hunts were also a big part of Boxing Day traditions, but in , the activity was banned in the UK. Hunters still gather, dressed in their finest coats, but now follow designated artificial trails. Traditionally, the holiday was celebrated by giving to the needy and less fortunate, but over time, Boxing Day has evolved and been commodified in several different ways. Saint Stephen Day recalls the patron saint, based in Jerusalem, who helped the poor but was stoned to death, making him the first Christian martyr for the faith.
In , the Oxford English Dictionary, an acknowledged guardian of the correct use of the English language, makes the first reference to Boxing Day in print. Boxing Day is known nowadays for its fantastic deals, discounts, and sales. Here are similar holidays around the world. Big sales jump off on Boxing Day a la Black Friday. Friends and family gather to eat together and to attend sporting events like horse racing and soccer.
Boxing Day in Jamaica comes with a rasta vibe. People party at the beach and attend Caribbean-flavored pantomimes usually performed in a Jamaican patois. Jamaicans also go to actual boxing matches on Boxing Day! Boxing Day refers to the gift boxes filled with trinkets or money that tradespeople, servants, messenger boys, postmen and others in the middle or lower classes received from the wealthy as a show of appreciation for their work at Christmas time and the rest of the year.
Boxing Day is a public or bank holiday with time off for most non-essential personnel. If Boxing Day lands on a weekend, the following Monday is a bank holiday.
Some buses may operate during the day but not at night. Taxis and other chartered transportation may be available but more expensive on Boxing Day. If you chose the organization you love an volunteer time there.
Donate blood to the local blood bank. Get out and enjoy nature, while all your compatriots are shopping away get some fresh air, enjoy time with your sports teammates or friends. So grab your baseball gloves, your skateboards, your hiking boots and those footballs and basketballs and get outside! Invite your friends and throw a party after Christmas! Make it either a purchased gift holiday or a re-gifting party for all those weird pairs of socks that Grandma gave you….
The hunting of wren birds was considered unlucky on any day except Boxing Day. It used to be a popular event in England in the past. Please update your billing details here. Please update your billing information.
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Accessibility Links Skip to content. Menu Close. Log in Subscribe. Showing 1 - 20 of results. Next page. If you were banking on a goose for Christmas, you may be stuffed Families hoping to bag a goose this Christmas if they cannot get hold of a turkey may be disappointed: suppliers Wednesday November 10 , Andrew Ellson , Consumer Affairs Correspondent.
Tuesday November 09 , 5. Kiera Buckley-Jones. Christmas comes early to high streets amid fear of shortages Shoppers have started spending earlier than normal for Christmas because of fears that shortages will spoil the Tuesday November 09 , Ashley Armstrong , Retail Editor.
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